Film industry evolvement Name Course Date When and where did the idea of auteurism emerge? How was the auteur theory modified as it developed in different countries during the postwar era? In what ways did the notion of auteurism help critics explain movies? Cahiers du Cinema, a French publication founded in 1954, is the source of the auteur’s idea. “Book” or “notebook” is the definition of cahiers. To put it another way, the subtitle means something like “notes on the film.” Since 1951, the publication has been in existence (Britannica, 2022). French director Francois Truffaut, who would go on to become one of the most celebrated filmmakers of all time, wrote an attack on the status of French cinema in 1954 (Editors, 2017). Certain American films and directors were held up as excellent examples by him. Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock, in particular, were championed by him. It’s no surprise that the auteur notion started thanks to a future director (Britannica, 2022). Later, Peter Bogdanovich would spend years interviewing some of the greatest filmmakers to promote auteurism. He went on to direct his films. Truffaut’s philosophy was dubbed “Auteur Theory” by American critic Andrew Sarris. An artist can be a movie director, and early filmmakers proved that. However, this isn’t true for all of them. To understand auteur theory, one must first understand what constitutes a director’s status as an auteur (Editors, 2017). Although directors played a vital role before the auteur theory, other elements remained relevant. A-listers. Production houses. Producers. In the 1930s, movies were often referred to as ‘Clark Gable movies,’ for example. In the early 1950s, the doctrine of auteurs revolutionized everything. Power was transferred from actors and producers to studio executives. Power has been transferred to the directors and designed for specific director types. In the end, it led to a director’s dilemma (Editors, 2017. Famously, Truffaut remarked that there is no such thing as a good or poor movie. Directors are either excellent or awful. He insisted that there are only good or bad directors. Theoretically, a director need not be a film artist to be a successful one. On the other hand, an auteur is a film’s personal and unique imprint given by an auteur filmmaker’s style and complete control over all production elements (Editors, 2017). He produces meaning with the instruments of cinema and the lens of his mind and personality. A skilled filmmaker made even a bad film. Not a fantastic film by an average director. The concept of auteurism also assisted critics in explaining movies. Because the film is an expression of the director’s artistic vision, each film by the same filmmaker will have a distinct theme and visual cues that tell the viewer who the director is (i.e. a Hitchcock or Tarantino picture) and exhibit the director’s constant artistic identity across their filmography (Cacchiotti,, 2019). This made it easy for critics to find it easy to explain movies. The concept of auteurism in France helped or motivated the emergence of critics and video explanations in various languages globally (Editors, 2017). The creativity in auteurs and film interpretation was seen to influence many other auteurs who came up in the industry as they had realized that the venture had gained other auteurs a lot of profits. French post war effects also gave a big chance for the Hollywood cinema industry to thrive (Cacchiotti,, 2019). The European cinema industry was seen as a threat to America’s industry. So America tried very much to beat the French industry. What kinds of stylistic techniques were favored by the new cinema directors of the 1960s? In what ways did they take advantage of New Cinema technologies? How was their inventiveness also reflected in the narrative design of their films? In other words, how did the new cinema directors modify the 1950s art cinema’s presentation of objective and subjective realism and authorial commentary? Use Midnight Cowboy or films discussed in the textbook as examples to support your answer. There are four most common approaches to Many advancements throughout cinema’s history, each of which has impacted the seventh art form’s production and consumption methods. The industry has never ceased inventing to create better films, from the earliest Lumière brother’s projections to the most recent computer-generated graphic flicks. Technology advancements like this have had a profound impact on film history (Vassiliki, 2020). I am studying movies. Films and filmmakers are judged on their aesthetic significance and influence using criteria determined by a criterion-based method, considering the problem from a technological angle, examining the situation from a monetary standpoint, and a socially conscious strategy. All parties in the theatrical sector were enjoying a new wave of technological advances in the 1950s (Vassiliki, 2020). It was all about upping the ante on the theatrical experience this time around to better compete with the ever-increasing spectacle that is television. In the 1950s, the motion picture industry was confronted with its first serious challenge to survival. Because of reduced studio control and the Paramount decrees, movie theaters had to deal with decreasing attendance and television’s new, more formidable competitor (Harris, 2021). Hollywood, seeking for shock value, was willing to overlook the format’s flaws by the early 1950s. Several improvements made the procedure much more popular throughout this time period. A polarized 3-D method improves precision while improving viewing pleasure. For example, Natural Vision, introduced in 1952, fixed the dual cameras to approach the human eye distance. More exact 3-D formats gave a more realistic sense of depth. It was popular in adventure, science fiction, and horror films, giving 3-D a kitsch feel. 3D flicks like Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) and House of Wax (2001). 1953 (Harris, 2021). As the stereoscopic fad faded, both Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder (1954) and Kiss Me Kate (1953) were screened “flat.” It’s clear that stereoscopic filming technologies haven’t lost their attractiveness since the 1950s. Sexually explicit and X-rated 3-D movies dominated the 1960s box office. 3-D has recently made a resurgence in the digital age. In addition to fragmented, discontinuous editing and extensive takes that let actors explore a situation. Because of the blend of reality, subjectivity, and commentary, these films could contain ambiguous characters, motives, and even endings that were not quite obvious. The New Wave movement in France was thus established. A landmark point in numerous independent courses of cinematic history, Midnight Cowboy by John Schlesinger was shot in the spring of 1968 in the wonderfully filthy crossroads of Times Square (Advameg, 2022). New York film, adult content barrier-breaker, buddy film, and probably most importantly, as a film that helped create the idea of a gay film viable, the movie represented a true dividing line, even if it wasn’t instantly acknowledged (Advameg, 2022). According to New York Times critic Vincent Canby, “if you go down West 42nd Street and avoid the looks of drifters and the small islands where hustlers congregate, you won’t feel isolated after seeing it.” “However,” he added, “it’s not a film for the ages.” Canby’s fleabag hotels, pawnshops, and other urban/corporate rebranding efforts have all been successful in driving them out of business. One of the earliest films to highlight their struggle, Midnight Cowboy has endured the test of time. Analyze the important social, economic, and industrial factors responsible for the emergence of the New Hollywood in the early 1970s. What were the causes of the industry-wide recession from 1969 to 1970? Which new audiences did the Majors subsequently attempt to target? Describe the ways in which Hollywood style was modified in order to reach these new audiences. Draw on Midnight Cowboy or other films of the period to support your answer. Even though the decade began with Hollywood in a state of financial and artistic depression, the United States film industry enjoyed its most creative period throughout the 1970s. Their prevalence increased as censorship of language, sexual content, and violence became less stringent (Britannica, 2020). People’s lives were profoundly affected by each of these movements. Many fresh and innovative filmmakers (wrongly termed “Movie Brats” during the Hollywood New Wave) regenerated and revitalized Hollywood during the studio system’s downfall (Sablik, 2013). However, contrary to what many people believe, Hollywood’s counterculture of the time encouraged it to take greater risks and experiment with new, younger filmmakers while older Hollywood professionals and older-style moguls went away. European “New Wave” movements (French and Italian included) as well as other foreign-language filmmakers’ unique works provided filmmakers with a glimpse of new possibilities, story-telling methodologies, and more meaningful “artistic” options in the late 1960s (Nast, 2021). Despite a brief nudity scene, The Last Picture Show (1971) was nominated for eight Academy Award Awards. Filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, a former student of Orson Welles, became a Hollywood hot commodity after directing The Last Picture Show, making him one of the most sought-after directors. It is estimated that the Great Recession, one of the most significant economic drops in American history, lasted from December 2007 to June 2009. Investing and deregulation. There are a lot of factors that led to the emergence of New Hollywood (Sablik, 2013). They: Before the Great Recession, there was a decade of expansion, low inflation, and two minor economic recession. Between the early 1980s and 2007, the Great Moderation was in full swing. The word itself implies that the old boom-and-bust business cycle has been substituted with a more steady but nonetheless moderate economic growth. Reckless expenditure by risk-takers was a result of unbridled optimism. Growth was expected by everyone, from homebuyers to bankers (Sablik, 2013). Weak defenses were created by this, making dangerous actions like aggressive investment and borrowing appear safe. As with corporate bonds, MBS and CDOs had to be approved by credit rating agencies before they could trade. The “Big Three” are Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch Group. These organizations assigned AAA ratings to many assets, even though they contained many problematic mortgages. Subprime mortgage crisis. After being low throughout the early 2000s, interest rates rose in 2004 due to economic overheating and inflation fears (Britannica, 2020). In mid-2004, it was 1.25 percent. By mid-2006, the rate was 5.25%. The rate boost couldn’t have arrived sooner. After a period of consolidation in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the “New Hollywood” that emerged appealed to a younger demographic (Nast, 2021). A demographic of genuine viewers aged ten to twenty-four attracted to high-concept films and celebrity vehicles, the “teen and preteen bubble” was created by studios (Sablik, 2013). High-concept blockbusters and saturation booking went hand in hand during the fourteen weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day. A new film is simultaneously released on more than two thousand screens, supported by an extensive national advertising campaign, since 1975’s Jaws (Britannica, 2020). Saturation Booking expanded its operations to provide shopping mall movie theaters in the suburbs, taking advantage of the population shift away from decaying metropolitan cities and their failing movie palaces. References Advameg. (2022). The television age – Technology – film, movie, music, cinema. Www.filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Romantic-Comedy-Yugoslavia/Technology-THE-TELEVISION-AGE.html Britannica. (2020). Hollywood | History, Movies, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Hollywood-California Britannica. (2022). auteur theory | Definition & Directors | Britannica. Www.britannica.com. https://www.britannica.com/art/auteur-theory#:~:text=ArisinginFranceinthe Cacchiotti, N. (2019, December 11). Top 36 Movies and TV Shows Featuring Autism | Autism Research Institute. Autism Research Institute. https://www.autism.org/autism-movies/ Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2017). auteur theory | Definition & Directors. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/auteur-theory Nast, C. (2021, April 1). The Making of “Midnight Cowboy,” and the Remaking of Hollywood. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/12/the-making-of-midnight-cowboy-and-the-remaking-of-hollywood Harris, M. (2021, April). Midnight Cowboy: On the Fringe. The Criterion Collection. https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/5705-midnight-cowboy-on-the-fringe Sablik, T. (2013, November 22). Recession of 1981–82 | Federal Reserve History. Www.federalreservehistory.org. https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/recession-of-1981-82 Vassiliki Malouchou. (2020, April). Flashbacks: AC In the ’60s – The American Society of Cinematographers. Ascmag.com. https://ascmag.com/articles/flashbacks-ac-in-the-60s
